Viral Reddit proposal inspires commissioned pop art site ArtCorgi

PALO ALTO -- Recently engaged Bay Area couple and business partners Malcolm Collins and Simone Smith will launch next week an online marketplace for commissioned art from illustrators and pop artists.

On ArtCorgi.com, buyers can request custom works from artists around the world who create cartoons, anime, sci-fi and a variety of pop-art styles. Buyers can supply artists with pictures, instructions and other guidelines for their commissioned work, which is delivered as a digital file that can be printed on canvas or used online. The custom works sell for $40 to $500, and ArtCorgi keeps 20 percent of the sale.

Smith said pop artists don't often get much attention and aren't well paid in the traditional art world.

"We love that scrappy, fun, nerdy online art world, and we want to make people see it as more legitimate," she said.

More than 50 artists are already on the site and will begin taking orders on Jan .15.

The Palo Alto couple came up with the idea for ArtCorgi after Collins, a student at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, popped the question last summer on microblogging website Reddit. He commissioned cartoon-style illustrations and drawings from artists and posted them online to spell out the proposal. The post went viral, and he quickly saw the need for an online marketplace to connect artists and pop-art buyers. The couple is planning a July 2015 wedding.